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Vince Cable has disputed claims that unionists were “scaremongering” over independence, insisting that the UK Government response was just “a matter of logic”.

The Business Secretary was in Glasgow yesterday to launch the latest of the UK Government’s analysis papers on independence, this one dealing with business and regulation.

Parts of the paper, which were leaked to the media in advance, give warning that Scots might have to pay more to post letters and use their mobile phones after independence.

These warnings, combined with the suggestion from one senior figure in the “no” camp that the strategy was being dubbed

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Having begun its Save the Union campaign with shock-and-awe tactics on issues such as currency and EU membership, Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, moved on yesterday to a second phase of trying to bore for Britain.
The fate of the National Measurement Office, the Vehicle Certification Agency or the Intellectual Property Office look unlikely to swing the referendum vote one way or the other. But the arguments about the couple of dozen such governmental agencies set out in the latest UK Government document arguing why Scotland should keep the union add up to quite a big challenge to the Alex Salmond.
First, his government will have to set out plans for how the services handled by these UK agencies would be carried out after independence. For example, would Scotland need its own Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, Vehicle Certification Agency and Driving Standards Agency? How much would Scottish versions of these agencies cost? Could an agreement to share these UK agencies be negotiated?
Second, there is the cost to users. Would any fees be higher or lower after independence? And if independence means higher charges — for example, Scottish hauliers having to pay a fee to drive on English roads — could that be offset by, say, a less costly Scottish tax disc?
Third, the more such questions pile up, the more uncertainty is created. But for road hauliers whose business includes taking goods south of the border, answers are important and are likely to affect their votes.
Branding these issues as mere scare stories, which was partly the Scottish government’s response, is unlikely to win over any unconvinced voter. Its task is to produce a convincing case that things will be at least the same as, but preferably better than, existing arrangements. On the evidence in this report, that will be a formidable task.